The High Court has issued a rule asking why the declaration of the daily Kaler Kantho, owned by Bashundhara Group, should not be cancelled.
At the same time, the court ordered that 11 journalists who filed the writ must be paid their dues within 15 days.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Fatema Anwar issued the order on Monday after the preliminary hearing of a writ petition filed by 11 former journalists of the newspaper.
Advocate Manzur Al Matin appeared for the petitioners, assisted by Advocate Debashish Dev.
Earlier, on October 13, 11 journalists who had been terminated or resigned from Kaler Kantho filed the writ petition.
In the petition, the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Chairman of the Bangladesh Press Council, the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate, Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and Kaler Kantho’s publisher Moynal Hossain Chowdhury were made respondents.
After the hearing, Advocate Manzur Al Matin told reporters that the court issued a rule asking why Kaler Kantho’s declaration should not be cancelled and instructed that the journalists’ dues be paid within 15 days.
The 11 journalists filed the writ after the bank cheques issued to them by the authorities could not be cashed following their resignation or termination. The petition sought cancellation of the newspaper’s declaration and an order to clear their outstanding payments.
The petitioners are: Md Shah Alam, Md Zahedul Alam, Kakoli Pradhan, Dewan Atikur Rahman, Abu Saleh Mohammad Shafiq, KM Latiful Haque, Asadur Rahman, Md Rokonuzzaman, Shamsun Nahar, Md Latiful Bashar (Limon Bashar), and Hanzala Han.
After not receiving their due financial benefits, a legal notice was sent to Kaler Kantho on August 17. As the authorities took no action, the writ petition was filed.